matt-c

I've only had mine a short time, but spent a fair while reading up on them prior to buying, and of course after buying. The Sport didn't come with any different wheels or bodykit as standard (other than a rear spoiler) - the "Aero" kit (which is actually either a TRD kit of front lip, rear lip and skirts, and optional raised spoiler, or a TTE kit which is an all in one bumper and grille, with matching rear lip) were factory options, as were the 6 spoke 18" rims. Mileage, well I'd always try and go for the least miles as possible, but it's a trade off between three things; price, condition (inc how it's been looked after) and miles. Mines got 85k, but I felt it had been looked after better (as far as servicing and having whatever needed doing, etc) better than a lower mileage one I saw. As for spec, Sport is the better spec, on paper, but it really depends on whether you want manual or auto. If you want manual, you might as well shoot for a Sport (since it's a better spec, and [most] Sports have the LSD box, whereas the manual SE's don't have an LSD), but if you want auto then go for an SE, because the Sports didn't come with an auto box. Regarding add on parts - the problem I've read most about with IS's is trying to add stuff to a car that never came with them, because unlike other manufacturers that put identical looms in allcars then just plug stuff in as it goes up the spec tree, Lexus didn't. Case in point is the Nav - if you get one without Nav, then buy a Nav unit, you don't have any of the cabling or loom to plug it into. It just isn't there. And since the Nav units are so dear anyway (just the motorised screen unit is around £200 second hand - the control unit plus discs are another couple hundred) plus needing to have it custom wired in, it's just not worth it. I wanted the stock Nav in mine, but went with one without it in the end - reason being is it was the least important thing on the car to me. I already have three Tom Toms, so it's no big deal to use one of those, and the stock Nav is out of date anyway, in regards to features and style (I'm not 100% sure if the maps are still being updated by Lexus, but you can bet that most IS' will have the original ten year old map disc in it, and getting a new one from Lexus will be double the cost of going and buying a TomTom or other stand alone satnav!). The only reason I wanted to get a car with the standard Nav in it was to rip it out, and replace the screen with either a large widescreen TomTom, or whack a 7" screen in it and hook it up to a reverse camera. Regarding colours - obviously that's a personal preference. Personally, I really don't like the green or the black (and I like black cars, just not on the IS for some reason) or the really light blue (Kodiak Sky?). Also not a fan of red, but the blue is nice, the yellow is lovely, white is gorgeous, and the silver - which at first I really didn't like - is the one I went for, and have really grown to love (probably cos it's not a "true" silver, but more a platinum - hence it's name, Platinum Ice). The grey is also really nice; lovely metallic sparkle effect to it. When it comes to body kits, factory TRD or TTE ones, my personal thought is that the dark cars; black, blue, green, grey, work best with the TRD kit, and the lighter cars; silver, yellow, white, work best with the TTE kit. Red is the middle ground, since I think it works with both. I saw a white one recently that had a "Jap style" front bumper on it (not quite Fast n Furious - bit more restrained, but along those lines) with the "Sports" option grille, lowered, and had either a black or carbon skinned roof, matching deep rear bumper and tiny lip spoiler on the boot that actually looked really nice! Not sure I'd do the same myself, but it did look good and different, without being too OTT - still quite subtle...

Thing is, non remoulds can blow out and cause accidents too, which is just as bad AND more expensive. Years and years ago I had an XR3i, which had some fairly suspect Michelin's on, and I couldn't afford a new set of tyres - especially on rims I was going to change in the near future - so I went for remoulds. All 4 (185 14's) should have been £55 fitted, but the guy did the PDQ wrong and charges me £5.50 - for all four! Cheapest set of tyres ever! To be fair, can't say I remember them bring any worse than the Michelin's that were on there before...

I might just leave it all stock for the time being and run it around, as I'm seriously tempted to switch up to a 300 at somepoint, and maybe see if I find a nice 300 with the full TTE kit and the 18" Aero six-spokes - so its not only a performance upgrade but also a visual one... Hmm, decisions decisions!

Jo came back to me saying it was £111 for the lip, £130 painting and £20 carriage, plus vat. But she said that was £291, which plus vat is £350. But I added it up to £261 which plus cat is £313. So I told we this and she came back to me again saying she made a mistake and I was right, and would do the lip and grille both supplied and painted for £350. To be honest, for less than £350 I'd hope to find a good nick TTE front bumper...

Just got pricing bac from Jo at Lex Brum, who said £350 was for the lip, painted and posted. With the grille it's £390. Strange the pricing is different if yours was so recent...

Someone posted the link in my wanted thread for Lexus Birmingham's ebay listing - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180926750899?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1144 I don't know your colour (or code) but contact them to see if they have one already in your colour, alternatively, they can supply a black one and paint it for you

I've found 7 so far (in the past month) with the TTE bumpers and wheels on. Three in platinum ice, a couple in black, and a couple in grey (nearly went for one of the grey ones; 04 plate, SE auto, with TTE kit and Aero 18's, 104k on it, up for £2995. The welsh one above was a sport, I think 89k, £2995, and the one in Stowmarket was also a sport, 84k, £2350!)

The bumper is the standard IS bumper; the "lip" is the lower part, which is the TRD item. I'm guessing you bought the bumper with the lip already attached? Same with the rear; the TRD lip fits onto the standard bumper (there are a set of side skirts to go with these two items also) Definitely change the grille to the "Sports" grille (like in this pic - http://i50.tinypic.com/2rxelxw.jpg) as it really sets it off IMO

Oh yeah, to see them like the above pic is rare indeed, but they are around. I still think the cheapest way (and possibly the only realistic way) of getting mine to look like that, is to buy one with the bumpers and wheels (and may get REALLY lucky and find one with an armrest too!), swap the bits over to mine and sell the other off as standard...

I'd wager you could probably use a hot air gun and heat the shark fin enough to make it malleable, then bend it so it fits to roof contour nicely, wait till it cools and then fit it with some decent 3M double sided tape

Ironically, nearly all the ones I've seen with the TTE kit on have had those 18's (on Autotrader, a trader had two grey ones, both with TTE front and rear and those wheels, and the one above from Wales, and I recently found one in Stowmarket, on eBay, that was platinum ice with the TTE front and rear with those rims. I was actually very tempted to go buy the Stowmarket one, get it home, swap the bumpers and wheels over and sell it off in stock form) I agree though, it does look properly awesome, and suits the IS shape so well

I was perusing eBay, and came across an SE with 239k on the clock! And next door had a Camry when he lived in the states with over 400k on the clock!!!! So keep it serviced and maintained and it should last, well, forever! Welcome, and enjoy - I've learned some useful stuff in the couple weeks I've been here, so no doubt you will too!

I asked first! so it's mine (if one comes along) :P :D That one in the pic was one I was actually going to buy - I found it on Autotrader, in Wales, and was gonna get a train all the way there, cab it to the showroom, hand over £3k and drive it home. But they'd sold it by the time I rang up :(

Unless they meant the £350 includes the grille and shipping for both. What they said;

Thanks Steve, sounds to be where mine sits. How quickly does yours get there?

Half fills it is then!

I chose Aston just because I have a major crush on them - gorgeous cars! But if someone said to me I could buy any super car, it'd probably have to be a Koenigseggeggeggeggeggegg CCX-R

Thought it worth asking, since I'm a new IS owner, and you guys are the ones to ask. Could also help new owners as they come along too Pretty simple things that IS owners should know - anyone else please feel free to chip in! 1) What tyre pressures should I run (standard 17" wheels, 215/45's) 2) What should the water temp gauge read, and how quickly should it get there? (mine gets to just under half, and sits there. Gets to it in less than 2 miles too though, is that bad?) Only two I can think of asking at the mo, but thought it worth asking those that have more experience with them :)

I was just wondering, if only filling the tank halfway would have a noticeable effect on fuel consumption. It's a 70L tank, so my thinking was that only putting 35/40L in and running that down would mean only carrying a maximum of 29kg, whereas 70L is 51kg - a saving of 20+ kg Or is 20kg really not going to make a noticeable difference?

Debadged it

Shines nicely - and not a common colour either! Don't think I've seen one that colour in real life before (at least I don't remember seeing one)

Thought I'd ask Lex Brum about a TRD front lip, supplied and painted, and got a reply back today for £350! Ouch! Think I'll hold out and see if I can find a TTE front bumper, ideally already in 1C0 - although, I'd then need the rear, AND a set of 18" Aero six spokes to make it look as good as this

You can test a windscreen for leaking by getting someone to hose the car down, focusing the water on the top and side of the screen, while you sit inside and feel around the edges for water ingress. Also helps to remove the inner a-post trim and check the glue line with an LED torch (likewise peel the roof lining down and inspect that) while having the outside of the car hosed. It's unlikely the windscreen will be leaking from the bottom; water generally doesn't run down the outside of the glass, do a 180 and run up the bottom edge, though a gap in the glue before doing another 180 and running down the inside of the bulkhead. However, leaks in glue lines can be deceiving, and it can be leaking from the top and side, not enough to drip into the car from the top, but enough to run down the inside of the glue line to the bottom and then drip down behind the dash into the foot well. (Source - 8 years fitting windscreens)

Thanks for the link!

Ah, gotcha! I'd happily pay 99p for a genuine TRD front lip!